Saturday, December 13

The Voice of the People

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The Daily Telegraph tells us to today that our MPs are about to take the longest Christmas break for more than 10 years. It will start next Thursday when the MPs pack their bags and return to their constituencies, not coming back until 12 January.

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Quite rightly, Tory Diary expresses some dismay but since parliament has become so marginalised that it has little to do. The MPs might just as well go home, for all the good they can do in Westminster.

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Some MPs themselves are unhappy with the situation, and we are told that the long break has "renewed accusations that politicians are out of touch with the working lives of ordinary Britons". But this is not merely a question being "out of touch". Parliament is these days regreatably impotent. What it says and does now is of very little importance and the fact that MPs can be summarily packed off home tells you all you need to know.

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The trouble is that our Parliament does have a purpose. It is (or should be) in effect, the voice of the people, its debates articulating their concerns. Thus, if parliament is silenced, the people are deprived of a voice.

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As can be seen in currently in Greece, when that happens, people go elsewhere to express their views. While MPs enjoy their break, therefore, they may care to reflect that it is more fundamental – it is a quite serious break between themselves and the people.